For the ultimate dive getaway,
enjoy a great week at sea. The MV Marco Polo will engage you
in a live abroad cruise to showcase the reefs and marine life around the Similan
Islands.

Get picked up from your hotels in pick-up points (as mentioned) at 5:30 PM. Depart from Phuket port at around 06:00 PM in the evening.

Head north and view the world
famous Richelieu Rock on the
Andaman sea.

Savor a lavish dinner at 8:00 PM on your first day.

Feel the thrill as you dive around the Similan Islands, Koh Bon with the spectacular coral gardens of Koh Tachai and the renowned Richelieu Rock.

Conclude your tour on the sixth day after returning to Phuket at 6:00 PM and arrival at Ao Chalong, then get dropped back to your hotel by 7:30 PM.

Destinations Covered :

1. Similan Islands - What is it that makes these islands so attractive? The Similans aren't as dramatically scenic as the limestone islands of Krabi or Phang Nga Bay, which many people have come to associate with the Andaman Sea. Instead, you find low-lying formations covered with thick forest.

But the most striking feature of these islands, at first glance, are the huge boulders that litter the western and southern shores on several of the islands. Another highlight, as the visitor soon discovers, are the white coral-sand beaches, splendidly picturesque and often deserted.

The most interesting sights, however, are to be found beneath the waves. Some of the most spectacular coral growths in the world can be found here - and the same boulders that scatter the shores have turned the waters around the Similans into an adventure playground for divers.

2. Koh Bon - As well as Koh Tachai, Koh Bon is part of the Similan Island national park and is only an hour or so away from the Similans so it is worth special mention as one of the best dives sites in Thailand for manta rays. In addition to mantas, it is also possible to find Napoleon wrasse, leopard sharks, eagle rays and black tip reef sharks. The Koh Bon area is not, however, only about pelagics since critters are numerous and varied which makes night diving here exceptional.

3. Richelieu Rock - This horse-shoe shaped site consists of a huge central pinnacle surrounded by smaller jutting rocks, every inch of which has been colonized by something: soft corals, anemones, barrel sponges and sea fans. In addition to the possibility of swimming with whale sharks you can also look forward to the likes of manta rays, barracudas and huge groupers. All of this before you even begin to explore the fascinating smaller creatures lurking in every nook and cranny.

4. Koh Tachai - This site is often visited en route to Richelieu Rock from the Similans and is in fact an island which has several nearby dive sites. Koh Tachai Plateau is the best known of these and as the name suggests is a submerged plateau of hard corals and boulders. Typically of the area there are swim-throughs and channels all over the place. The larger fish include manta rays, huge schools of swirling chevron barracuda and large numbers of tuna; and if the whale sharks are not at Richelieu, they may well be here.